Today, Monday 25th October 2021, marks 10 years since Lucy Air Ambulance for Children’s first-ever transfer. On this day in 2011, we flew Benjamin 170 miles from University of Staffordshire Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent to Kingston Hospital in Surrey, so that he could receive neonatal care closer to home. After Benjamin’s Lucy AAC transfer, his mum Carla wrote up their experiences. Please read their story below:
It is early in the morning at the University of Staffordshire Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent and we (my husband and I) anxiously visit baby Benjamin hoping for some news of a transfer to a hospital closer to home. Due to Benjamin’s prematurity he requires critical care in a special incubator in the Neonatal Unit. This is the third day since baby Benjamin was born prematurely at 33+4 weeks. We had been attending a friend’s wedding for the weekend over 170 miles away from our home in Surbiton, Surrey where our 6 year old son and family were anxiously waiting for news. The idea of transporting baby Benjamin by road has been ruled out, due to the long distance.
As we arrive at the Neonatal Unit we are given some exciting and unbelievable news that a new and innovative charity, Lucy Air Ambulance for Children, has offered to provide our son with a transfer by aeroplane to the neonatal unit at Kingston Hospital. This hospital would be able to provide specialist care for Benjamin and allow our family to be reunited!
Details are hazy as there was so much preparation to be done before the transfer including my own discharge from hospital. However, I remember at around midday the Lucy AAC flight team arrived to collect Benjamin. The flight team included a doctor and neonatal nurse who would be providing Benjamin with specialist care throughout the transfer. Benjamin’s neonatal team at the University of Staffordshire Hospital did a handover with the Lucy AAC flight team, and he was put into the travel incubator. The flight team put special covers over his ears and connected him to several monitors including a heart rate monitor. The flight team moved Benjamin into the road ambulance to be taken to the local airport. I said goodbye to my husband – at this point he started the long journey home by car – and joined Benjamin and the flight team in the back of the road ambulance.
After a short journey by road, we reached Manchester Airport with the ambulance sirens ringing out. We were then swiftly transferred into an aircraft. We were in the air for about an hour. The flight team were very friendly and closely monitored Benjamin throughout the journey. I don’t think Benjamin knew anything about the transfer as he spent the whole journey asleep!
We arrived at Northolt Airport in North-West London where Benjamin and the flight team moved into a road ambulance. This road ambulance was smaller than the previous one, so I followed by car to Kingston Hospital.
On arrival I met up with my 6 year old son and family, which was very emotional. We were so happy to be home! I followed Benjamin up to the neonatal unit where he settled in. I was in floods of tears when the Lucy AAC team left – a mixture of happiness, relief and hormones!
We hope that such important air transfers can continue through this amazing charity that helps seriously ill children and baby’s like Benjamin. We would like to say a big thank you to all involved!
Carla and Family x
Benjamin thrived after his Lucy AAC transfer and was soon discharged home. Fast forward and here he is now at 10 years old, with his family…
Benjamin’s transfer was an extremely special milestone for Lucy AAC. This was the beginning of our national air ambulance service that has changed so many children’s lives over the past decade. This couldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of the Lucy AAC family (yes, that includes you!). We would like to say a special thank you to:
- Lucy AAC doctors, nurses and paramedics – thank you for taking such great care of our families over the past decade. You are the heart of our service and we are so grateful for you!
- Capital Air Ambulance, IAS Medical, Air Alliance and Gama Aviation – thank you for providing us with incredible pilots and state of the art aircraft, and for ultimately making our service possible.
- Dr Lee Collier and Dr Nandiran Ratnavel – your expertise and enthusiasm for neonatal transport continues to shape our service. You are an integral part of our work.
- Our incredible families – you fundraise, donate, share, and shout for Lucy AAC. Thank you for all you do to help other families with children who need an air transfer. A special thank you to the Howard family, Barrett/Edmondson family, Finnie family, Morrisey family, Salt Family and Grimwood-Bullock family.
- Houlihan Lokey for being Lucy AAC’s biggest funder. Since our partnership started in 2018, you have changed so many children’s lives and have been a huge part of our development. You gave us stability during the pandemic and stood by us in 2021 to ensure we recovered from the impact of Covid-19. Thank you for your continued support.
- Trusts and Foundations that have funded our work over the past 10 years. A special thank you to The Sobell Foundation, ISTAT Foundation, CSIS Charity Fund, PF Charitable Trust, The Tula Trust and The Leslie Smith Foundation – you were our lifeline during the pandemic and we will never forget your vital support.
- All who have served on the Lucy AAC Board of Trustees, including our current Board – thank you for committing your time and talents to Lucy AAC.
- You! Whether you have been part of the Lucy AAC Family for years or you’re just getting to know us, we want you to know that we really appreciate your involvement and continued support.
Here’s to another decade of changing children’s lives!
